Extensible window screen



March 8, 1955 'r. L. ATKINSON EXTENSIBLE WINDOW SCREEN Filed Aug. 17,1953 IN V EN TOR. Truman L Afk/nson I I I HMPIII HHHHKI United StatesPatent EXTENSIBLE WINDOW SCREEN Truman L. Atkinson, Ludington, Mich.

Application August 17, 1953, Serial No. 374,575

1 Claim. (Cl. 160-428) This invention relates to extensible windowscreens of the type which are placed between lower edges of windowsashes and the upper sides of sills and which may be extended todifierent lengths to conform to the widths of the window frames.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide aparticularly practical, useful and certain screen structure which iseconomically fabricated, very quickly and easily assembled and, afterassembly, the two parts of the screen will not separate but aresubstantially locked against separation under any of the conditions ofuse or handling to which the screen is ordinarily subjected. Moreover,the screen made of two parts, has each of said parts of identicalstructure, the economy of manufacture and the reduction of the numbersof the steps followed in such screen manufacture being greatlyfacilitated. The screen structure is also of a sturdy and durable type,resistant to damage and of an accordingly long life of service.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one of the two parts of the screen structure,two of which are used in the completed screen.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevation of the completed screen with the parts inassembled relation and the screen at its shortest over-all length.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged elevation of the upper portion of oneof the screen members, the view being taken at the inner side thereof.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical section substantially on theplane of line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged broken vertical section substantially on the planeof line 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction indicated, and

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the two parts of the screen immediatelybefore they are snapped into place to complete the assembly thereof.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figuresof the drawing.

In the structure of each of the two parts which are used to make up thescreen, a screen frame member is provided having oppositely spaced upperand lower sides made of thin metal formed with an outer side 1 havingintegral, at the upper and lower edges of the upper and lower horizontalscreen members, right angle turned webs 2 which terminate in flanges 3paralleling the faces 1. At the inner edges of each of the sides 1, themetal for the greater portion of its length is bent back upon itself andthen formed with a Ubend providing a U-shaped channel or elongated clipindicated at 4 for gripping the edges of a screen 5 which extends acrossthe opening between the opposite upper and lower sides 1. The framemember is completed by end 6 of identical form and cross section,between one of the ends of each of the upper and lower members, and across member 7 paralleling the end 6, of like identical shape and formand cross section, which is inset from the adjacent ends of the upperand lower sides a distance of a few inches, in practice approximatingthree inches in a screen the distance between the upper and lower sidesof which approximates fifteen inches.

Each end of the cross member 7 has the flange portions of the partscorresponding to the parts 3 and 4 of the upper and lower sides of theframe removed for a short distance, as indicated at 8, Fig. 3, so as toprovide space for 2,703,611 Patented Mar. 8, 1955 ice the slidableoperation of the two members when they are assembled with the terminalflanges 3 thereof extending inwardly as in Figs. 5 and 6. The partsbeyond the cross member 7 indicated at 9 have the terminal portion ofthe screen holding clips 4 removed leaving one side of said clip asshown at 4a in Fig. 4 and by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2. The screen 5is securely held at its edges by the clinching of the elongated clips 4of the upper and lower sides 1 of the frame and the like clinching ofthe corresponding clips of the end 6 and cross member 7 which, aspreviously stated, are of the same structure and cross section as suchupper and lower sides of the screen frame.

On each of the extensions 9 of the upper and lower sides of the frame ayielding latching member is permanently secured. It comprises a lengthof thin metal, preferably less in length than the distance from theadjacent cross member 7 to the free end portion of the projecting member9. Such latching member is formed and shaped into corrugated form, oneend leg 10 of which lies against the inner side of the adjacent side 1of the extension 9 of the upper and lower frame members of the screenand against the infolded part 4a, being spot welded thereto. Such leg 10is continued upwardly at the upper side of the screen and downwardly atthe lower side thereof (Figs. 5 and 6) and formed into a Ubend 11,thence continued parallel to the free leg 10 for a distance and formedinto a reverse Ubend 12, thence extending outwardly and shaped into aUbend 13 terminating in a free leg 14. The first mentioned Ubend at 11lies between the terminal flange 3 and the outer side 1 and may be spotwelded or otherwise permanently secured thereto, but the remainingportion of the latching member is free of connection to any part of theextension 9 of the frame member to which it is secured.

In assembling, the latching members which are on said extension 9 to thelower frame members, are inserted into the channel of the lower side ofthe associated companion frame member. That is, the free portionsincluding the U-bends 13, the legs 10 and 11 of which are permanentlysecured to the extensions 9 of one of said frames, are seated in thechannels of a second identical frame to be assembled therewith atpositions in the length of the lower side of said companion framebetween its end bar 6 and cross bar 7 By swinging the two frame memberstoward each other at their upper sides, the yielding latching membersdescribed will be brought with the free legs 14 against the upperterminal flanges 3 of the upper channels of the second or associatedframe member (Fig. 6) and will yield upon pressure against the latchingmembers to pass underneath said flanges 3 against which they engage andsnap into the channel, as in Fig. 5, with the free legs 14 against theinner side of the face 1 of the upper frame member and with the U-shapedbend between it and the adjacent flange 3. Such latches therefor willall be located within the confines surrounded by the upper and lowerframe members and the bars 6 and cross members 7 of the two framemembers. When the frame members are extended to make the longest lengthof the screen which there may be, the two cross members 7 come againsteach other and their flanges, corresponding to the flanges 3 of theupper and lower members 1 will pass by each other until stopped.

The identity in every way of the structure of the two frame members ofthe frame requires only one series of fabricating and manufacturingsteps to produce them, so that for a designated quantity of screens tobe manufactured it is necessary to produce only twice that number ofidentical screen members. The assembly is performed manually, almostinstantly. After the assembly has been made the screen has the two partsthereof securely connected together against separation and the parts ofthe latches on one screen member engaging the guides therefor on theother screen member press against said guides so that there is frictionagainst movement of the two screen members with reference to each other,preventing aimless, accidental or other change in position of the screenmembers when they are once extended to a desired over-all length.

The structure is practical, useful and economical to produce and sturdyin service and has exceptionally long life in service. The invention isdefined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive ofall forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

In a structure having two identical frame members, each comprisingparallel spaced sides, an end extending between one end of each of saidsides permanently secured thereto and a cross bar extending between saidsides spaced from the other ends of said sides, said sides of one framemember being located side by side against the respective sides of theother frame member, each of said sides being of generally channel crosssection, one leg of each of said channel sections being shorter than theother, the shorter legs of the sides of said frame members being locatedside by side, the improvement comprising, a yielding corrugated latchingmember secured at one end, one to each of said sides of each of saidframe members at the end portions thereof beyond the cross bars of saidframe members, each of said latching members having one corrugationlocated in and permanently secured to the channel of the side of theframe member to which said end thereof is connected, a secondcorrugation into which the shorter sides of said side by side flangesextend, and a third corrugation extending into the channel of theadjacent side of the other frame member, said third corrugationterminating in a free leg bearing frictionally against the inner side ofthe longer leg of said last mentioned channel, said latching membershaving sliding engagement with the channels of the sides of the framemember to which not permanently secured between the end and cross barthereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,762,884 Noyes June 10, 1930

